Antiskid device for vehicle wheels



Jan, '13,

J. REICHERT ANTISKID DEVICE FOR VEHICLE WHEELS Filed Noir. 17, 1919 2 Sheets-Sheet l JUL" @www

Jan, 13, 1925. 1,523,368

J. REICHERT ANTISKID DEVICE FOR VEHICLE WHEELS Filed N OV. 17, 1919 Z-Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Jan. i3, i925.

Nl FFEE.

JOI-IN REICHE-RCE, OF RACINE, 'Wl-SCONSIN.

ANTISKID DEVICE FR VEHICLE WHEELS.

Application filed November l?, 1919. Serial No. 338,490.

`To all whom t may concern.:

Be it known that I, J'oHN Rnrorinni, a citi- Zen ot the United States ci" America, and resident Vot Racine, Racine County, AState of lVisc-onsin, have invented certain new and uset'ul Improvements in and Relating to Antiskid Devices for Vehicle Wheels, ot' which the following is a specification.

This' invention relates to certain improvements inV anti-skid devices tor vehicle wheels; and the objects and nature of the invention will be readily understood by those skilled in the art in the light of the following explanation ot' the accompanying drawings illustra-ting what I now believe to be the preferred mechanical expression or embodiment of the invention from among other forms, constructions and arrangements within the spirit and scope thereof.

An object of the-invention is to provide certain improvements in so-called truck chains of the type embodying a pair of clamping bars providing means for the attachment of two anti-skid or traction meinbers, such Vas' chains.

A further object of the invention is to provide said bars with exceedingly simple and eiiicient means for coupling the traction members to and whereby they can be readily detached from they clamping bars and whereby slackness of the traction members beyond that desirable for trac-tion purposes can be reduced to the minimum.

A further object of the invention is to provide improvements in such clamping bars to prevent outward flexing or bending of the ends of such bars, and whereby the end portions of the bars to which the traction members are coupled will seat and abut against the wheel telly and be directly sustained and supported thereby. Y

A further obj ect of the invention is to provide such clamping bars to seat against the wheel telly and receive the chain ends, with the inner bar so formed and offset as to throw the heads of the clamping bolts out of the way ot brake drums or other parts at thefinner side of the wheel.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in certain novel features in construction and in Vcombinations and arrangements as more fully and particularly set forth and specified hereinafter. t Referring to the accompanying drawings z- Fig. l, showsY a portion of a vehicle wheel in side elevation showing' an anti-skid device in Vaccordance with my invention applied thereto.

Fig. is a. section on the line 2-2, Fig. l.

Fig. 3, is a view similar to Fig. 2, but illustrating clamping bars ot dillerent formation with the clamping bolts differently located.

Fig. et, shows the wheel rim and tire at the bottom ofv the wheel, in cross section and the antiwskid device applied thereto in end view or elevation.

lfig. 5, is a view similar to Filg. 4f, but showing the approximate position ol' the chain when the anti-skid device is in rev rsed position at the top of the wheel.

Fig. G, is a side elevation or' one of the inner clamping bars.

ln the drawings, l. show a portion of a truck wheel having tire a, telly b, and spokes c, although I do not wish to limit the a-pplication or' my invention to truck wheels notwithstanding the fact that so-called antiskid devices of this general type are usually termed truck chains.

The device of my invention comprises a pair of clamping bars, approximately similar as to length. rPhe length of these bars is such as to enable them to traverse two adjacent wheel spokes and project in opposite directions beyond both spokes. The bars fit the opposite side facesor edges of the spokes and are clamped rigidly against the spokes by cross bolts connecting the bars and located between wheel spokes.

One bar l is provided for the inner side of the wheel and a complementary bar 2 tor the outer side of the wheel. rlhe bars are usually flat to present comparatively wide flat races to the spoke sides, and are preferably straight to torni chords of the inner circle ot' the telly, while the outer edge portions otl the bar ends are longitudinally curved, beveled or inclined to form end shoes 3 adapted to lit and solidly or squarely abut and seat against the inner surface of the telly. These` end slices or telly abutting surfaces 3 of the clamping bars are located opposite spaces between the wheel spokes when the bars are clamped in proper position on the wheel spokes.

The bars are clamped rigidly in operative yposition on the spokes with their end shoes 3 iirmly abutting the wheel telly, by cross bolts 4, preferably connecting the projecting ends oi' the bars and their central or inter- Cil mediate portions, with the bolts arranged between the wheel spokes. l show the bars formed with transverse bolts holes 4 through both ends and through their central portions. The bolts are applied with their heads fitting the outer faces of the inner bar l, so that the threaded ends of the bolts project beyond the outer side bar 2 to permit ready access to the nuts Il" at the outer side ot' the wheel.

The portions of the inner bar l, through which the bolts holes pass, i. e. t-he ends and centerot the bar, are offset or depressed inwardly, see l, to form depressed seats for the bolt heads Vso that said heads will be seated inwardly beyond or flush with the plane ot the outer surface 01"' such bar.

In some instances, it is not possible to apply anti-skid devices of this general clampingbar type, to certain .wheels because projecting portions ot' the inner clamping bar or ythe projecting bolts interfere with portions ol the brakes or other parts located close. to the inner sides of such wheels. l am enabled to overcomefthis ditliculty by providing my flat inner clamping bar without outward project-ions and formed to depress the bolt heads.

However, I do not wish to limit all features of my invention to the special bar l, formed as it is .to solve a. special problem, although this bar is adapted Jfor general use. For instance, in Fig. 3, I show an inner bar l which is not 'formed with the offset portionsfto receive the bolt heads. Also, the clamping bars 1, 2, have longitudinally elongated slot-s 4d to receive the clamping bolts and permit adjustment o'l the bolts longitudinally ot' said bars to accommodate different spoke spacing in dil'erent wheels. Also, the end bolt slots while located in the portions or the c-lan'lping bars that project Abeyond the two spokes against which the bars are clamped, are not located in projecting end extremities ot' said bars as in the 'form of Figs. l and 2,but somewhat nearer the adjacent spokes and between the same and the chain attaching devices.

In the particular examples illustrated, the loose traction members are formed by lengths of chain G, although I do not wish to limit myself to chain of the particular structure or type shown and I herein employ the term chain in a generic sense to include equivalent` loose t `action means having flat end links 6a or the like, lior attachment to the clamping bars.

The projecting ends of the inner clamping bar l or l are provided with similar means tor anchoring or coupling chain ends thereto. The projecting ends of the outer clamping bar 2 or 2 are provided with means for anchoring or coupling the other ends of the chains and these means of the outer bar are similar to each other, .but diterent from the anchoring means ot the inner bar. Each anchoring means of the inner bar consists oi' a heavy strong U shaped horn or hook arranged in a plane transverse to the length ot' the bar and integral with the bar, and rising Yfrom the radially inner edge of the projecting bar end and curving radially inwardly, transversely, and radially outwardly so as not t-o project beyond the plane of the outer side lace ot the bar and thereby'avoiding Vpossible interference with brake or other parts that might be arranged close toY the wheel as hereinbet'ore explained. TheV base or shank 7 of the hook is preferably rectangular or oblong in cross section to pass through the opening` of the flat link 62L at the inner end (with respect to Vthe wheel sides) ot the chain. The vfree-end hook bill T projects toward the radially inner surface ot the wheel telly to torm the hook or horn ot ajiproximately U-shape. The/:tree end ofthe hook bill is spaced a sufficient distance Ytroni the adjacent sui-tace of the wheel Vtelly to permit the passage ot' the radially inner end ot' the link 6, when held in a vertical position, and thus permit application oi' said linkto and its removal from the'hook. The.

length ot the hook bill and theA width ofthe approximatelyY semi-circular socket 7 formed by the hook, are such with respect to the length ot the link 6 with the next link therein as to preventninward longitudinal movement of the link past the extremity of the hook bill, except when said link is held in a vertical position (withireterence to Figs. 4, 5). The radially inner edge of the bar end at each side ol the base. or shank of the hook is tormedto prov-ide seats `or sockets 71 to receive the side bars of the link Ga;

The corresponding ends of the outer bar 2 or 2, are formed integral with tree-end usually somewhat outwardly-offset lugs, posts, or ears 8, to enter the flatV links 6 at the outer ends of the chains 6. These lugs are arranged attlie outer side of the chain, one endli'nk 6, (while the chain is slack and tree) is held-1n a position'radial or perpendicular with respect to the inner` surface o the telly and its innerend is llO v medium of clamping bars.V In applyingpa S that is opposite the hook passing through the opposite end link of the chain. The

.cotter pin 9 or other locking device is then passed through the free end of the lug above or inwardly of the link thereon. The link 6a on the lug extends downwardly and outwardly therefrom at an inclination Vand rests on the base of the lug and on the top edge ot its bar when the parts are in the positions shown by Fig. 4. l/Vhen the chain is thus passed or stretched around the tire, the link 6a thereof that is on the hook is pulled radially outwardly to approximately the position shown by Fig. 4, resting and ulcruming on the radially inner edge or' the clamping bar with the inner end oi the link bearing radially `inwardly against the heavy portion or shank of the hook. It is desirable that each applied chain'have a limited amount of slack for traction purposes, but any greater amount of slack is disadvantageous. lVith the chain attaching means of my invention excess slack necessary for attachment and detachment of the chain is reduced to the minimum. In tact, in practice, only about one halt inch excess slack is necessary to permit application of the chain to and from the lug 8, and there is no danger of the chains becoming accidentally detached; from the lugs and hooks. lVhen during the rotation of the wheel, the cha-ins are at the top of the wheel, the cotter pins retain their links on the lugs, and the links on the hooks will dropslightly from the bar sockets 7b and the inner ends of the links will drop into the hook sockets 7a without possibility of dropping from the hooks. However, some of the most important advantages of the chain coupling feature are the extreme strength, durability, and simplicity thereof and the ease and quickness ot' chain application and removal. j

Another very important feature of the invention resides in the fact that the clamping bars are seated against the wheel felly directly under the points of application of the chains to such bars so that the stresses and strains ot' the chains on the bars when in action are transmitted directly to and are sustained by the telly. lt will, in this connection, be noted that the shoes 3 of the bars, the inner inclined edges of the bar ends that bear against the telly, are located under the chain attaching hooks and lugs carried by said bar ends, and hence are in the line of pull of the chains on said lugs and hooks so that these bar ends are directly sustained by the lelly. Furthermore, tendency of the clamping bar ends to spread or how voutwardly is overcome not only by such end seating o't' the bars on the felly but also by the provision of the clamping bolts between the projected ends of the bars- Clamping plates bolted together at their central port-ions only and having elevated projected ends have av tendency to spread at their ends and develop serious weakness and disadvantages.

It is evident that Various changes, modications and variations might be resorted' to without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention and hence l do not wish to Vlimit mysel'tl to the exact disclosures hereof.

What I claim is :m4

l. An anti-skid device comprising a pair ot' clamping bars, one of said bars having integral traction chain attaching hooks extending radially inwardly from the radially inner edge ot the bar and projecting laterally and turned radially outwardly, the other bar having chain attaching means, clamping means for said bars, and traction chains having end loops adapted to said hooks.

2. Means for securing anti-skid chains to a vehicle wheel, comprising an elongated bar constructed and formed to tit a side tace of the wheel and at the opposite ends of its outer longitudinal edge portion having longitudinally diverging shoes formed to seat on the wheel telly, the opposite ends or' the bar having integral chain attaching means.

3. Means Jfor securing one end of an antiskid chain to a. vehicle wheel comprising an elongated bar having a hook extending at an angle thereto and radially toward the wheel axis, and means for clamping said bar to a lateral surface of the wheel with said hook extending laterally therefrom into the space between adjacent wheel spokes, said hook having a free end over which the length of the chain can be engaged, said free end projecting outwardly with respect to the wheel axis.

4. Means for securing one end of an antiskid chain to the side face of a vehicle wheel, comprising a bar having a hook integral therewith and projecting from the inner edge of the bar toward the wheel axis with the free end of the hook projecting outwardly with respect to the wheel axis, said hook being arranged transversely with respect tothe bar, and means for clamping said bar to a lateral surface of a wheel spoke with the transversely arranged hook projecting between adjacent spokes of the wheel.

5. Means for securing an anti-skid chain to al vehicle wheel, comprising an elongated bar provided with an integral U-shaped hook for receiving an end link of an antiskid chain, said hook projecting from the Cil inner longitudinal edge oit the har toward the Wheel axis and extendinlaterally `from the bar to project into the space between adjacent spokes oi the wheel to which said bar is adapted. y i 6. Beans for securing an anti-skid chain to avehicle Wheel, comprising` `an elongated straight bar having diverging shoes at its outer longitudinal end edges to seat against the Wheel telly, the ends of said bar provided with chain attaching nieans integral therewith, and clamping bolts tor the opposite bar ends-and for an intermediate portion of the har for clampingl the har to the lateral surface of a Wheel with. said ends held against springing laterally.

7. n conihination with a Wheel, means.

for securing an anti-skid chain thereto co1n prising a b ar having' a U-shaped hook extending transversely theretroin7 and means for clanipingrsaid bar to a, lateralV surface ot' the Wheel with said'hook projecting into the space between adjacent spokes.

8. Means for securingl anti-skid Chains to a vehicle wheel comprising an elongated har having holt holes at its endsand bolts adapted thereto 'for clamping the har to the lateral snr'tace ot' a Vehicle Wheel, said bar ends having' hooks integral therewith and projecting spaces between adjacent Wheel spokes, said hooks having free ends Y projecting` ont Wardly with respect to the Wheel axis.

JOHN REICHERT.

laterallx7 therefrom to enter the 

